For team co-owner Richard Petty, just having a lineup before the previous season was over is a sign of stability.

Some team owners couldn’t handle that type of “stability.” While some organizations prefer to have long-term deals with its drivers, Petty is fine with one-year sponsor and driver contracts.

He has a one-year deal with Ford. Marcos Ambrose is signed for one year with sponsors Stanley and DeWalt (both Black & Decker companies). Aric Almirola signed for one year with sponsor Smithfield Foods and its brands. RPM still needs to find sponsors for six or seven races for Almirola, but otherwise, it is set for next season.

“We’re just surviving,” Petty, the seven-time Cup champion said. “We’ve always done that from the first year my dad ever ran. It’s hard for me to look at next week let alone next year and especially looking out two or three years.

“What’s the economy gonna be? Where is everybody gonna be? Am I gonna be here? Is NASCAR gonna be here? I believe in looking out, but I don’t believe in planning out from that standpoint.”

Ambrose, who hails from Australia, was 18th in the Cup standings this year and won for the second straight year on the road course at Watkins Glen. He wants to win an oval race.

“One week he’s really good at it and the next week, I don’t know, but I think he’s getting more stable with it and it’s sort of a passion with him now,” Petty said.

“He knows he’s decent on road courses, but he would really, really love to win an oval. We don’t know if he’s ready to go home (to Australia) or what, but for sure he wants to stay another year to try to do something with these oval races.”

Almirola finished 21st in the standings but had a late-season surge with veteran crew chief Todd Parrott. Petty said that Almirola’s performance over the last couple of months helped him keep his ride. Before this season, Almirola had run 35 Cup races spread out over five seasons but never had a full season until 2012.

“We were back and forth looking (at others), and I think when we made the crew chief change that put his stock up,” Petty said. “We found out it wasn’t a one-sided deal. We kept blaming him for some of the stuff that was going on and it wasn’t but half of it his fault.”

As for Ford, Petty had talked to other manufacturers, as Ford is adding Penske Racing next season. When a potential Dodge deal fell through, Petty re-upped with Ford and will continue to get cars from Roush Fenway Racing and lease engines from Roush Yates Engines.

“Roush has always been the No. 1 deal when we came in, so if we’re closer to number one or further away from No. 1, it’s really immaterial,” Petty said. “We’re not No. 1, so it doesn’t make any difference.